Digging and excavating machine.



a. Bumm.. EIGGNS AND EXCAVATING MAGENB,

APLIGATIGE FILED 30V. 17, 1910.

1,095,335, Patented May 5, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT l.

' J. L. LITTLE.

DIGGING AND BXUAVATING MACHINE.

APrLIoATIoH HLLD nov.1v, 1910.

Patented May 5, 19kt.`

Y QBHEBTB-BHEET 2.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oFFIoE.

JAMES E. LITTLE, 0F STEELTON, PENNSYLVANIA.-

DIGGING AND EXCAVATING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Patented May, 1914.

Application led November 17, 191). Serial No. 592,929.

fof the invention, such as will enable others -skilled in the art to which it appertains to m'ake and use the 'sa-me, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, land to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

My invention relates to digging and excavating machines, more especially to that class of such machines wherein an excavating and elevating shovel or digging bucket is manipulated at a point distant from the place of digging, and to this end it consists of a bucket or shovel provided at its' forward end with digging teeth together with means to connect a drag line thereto and at its rear'end preferably, but not necessarily,

lwith a gate, the bucket being controlled as to angle of elevation for digging aswell as for dumping by means of twolines, one connected to the forward end and the other connected to the rear end thereof.

Heretofore it has been customary to discharge buckets or shovels from the' forward or digging end. This has been found to be objectionable for the reason that when digging in clay or a similar st-icky material the load does not discharge well for the reason that the digger teeth which are usually quite large prevent a complete discharge of the material and the weight of the material receives'no impetus so that it is advisable under such circumstances, to discharge from the rear end. This will enable the material to attainconsiderable impetus as the discharge takes place usually when the bucket is falling and the material will leave the bucket suddenly with -a ljerk, which serves.

to clear the bucket'of the sticky material. This feature is absent when a bucket or shovel is emptied by raising the rear end to discharge from the ydigging end.

In order to fully'understand my invention ref erence'will be made to the accompanying drawings in` which like parts-are similarly designated, and in whichf-j A Figure 1 is an elevation ofso much of the machinery as is necessary for understanding frame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bucket or shovel on an enlarged scale. Fig.

ft is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 5"`is" a' modified form of bucket or shovel 1 is a front elevation thereof.

bucket as manipulated from a boom but it may Just as well be manipulated from a cable-way carriage.

The boom 1 is built up of structural ironv and pivote'd within a housed platform 2 as is customary. This platform 1s mounted on rollers 2 so as to be rotatable on a-truck 3 provided with wheels 4 adapted to be moved on a temporary track 5. In other words the platform is constructed as a turn table.. The boom is provided with a link 6,` a pulley 7 and 'a rope 8 for raising and lowering the boom. This is the customary structure of analogous excavating apparatus and the those skilled in the art.

The machinery, Fig. 2, comprises preferably two continuously operating engines 9 for continuously rotating a driving shaft 10. Shaft 10 is provided withA a pinion 11 meshing with a gear wheel 12 on a rope drum 13. The shaft 10 is also provided with a pinion 14 meshing with a gear wheel 15 on a rope drum 16, identical with the rope drum 13. The two pinions 11 and 14 are connected to the driving shaft 10 by means of hand-operated clutches 17 and 18. On the the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the In these drawings lhaveillustrated the r and Fig.

parts indicated will be well understood by t .driving shaft 10 is also a pinion 19 meshl ing with a gear wheel 20 capable of being connected to acounter-shaft 21 by means of a clutch 22. This counter-shaft 21 is provided with a vpinion 23 meshing with a gear wheel 24 on a rope drum 25. Each of the three drums 13, 16 and 25 is provided with and 28 respectively. This mechanism is common to three rope hoists. The forward drum 25 operates the drag rope 29, which is drums 13 and 16 operate the bucket manipulating ropes 30 and 31, guided oversheaves v30a and 31al respectively'at the free end of the boom. The rope 31 is attached infront of the bucket by means of 'a solid bar or link 32 pivoted tothe front endof the rigid yoke .33 extending in front of the bucket, to which t-he drag rope 29 is also pivotally connected.

The other rope 30 is connected to a bail hand-operated band or other brakes 26, 27 v guided over 4pulley 29a'. The other two 31.1 pivoted at or near 'therear end of the bucket r shovel. The bucket or shovel is provided at its forward or digging end with manganese steel digger teeth 35 and at its rear end, preferably but not necessarily E with shoes 36. The rear or discharge end oi 'the bucket'cr shovelfFig 3, is closed by a gate 37 pivoted at 38 to ears 39. The gate 37 carries a sliding latch 40 which holds the p gate closed by `engagement with a suitable m catch below the gate, the latch being automatically drawn out ot engagement with the catch, releasing the gate, when the rear end of the bucket swings downward for dis- Hcharging. The upper edge of the gate 37 carries, preferably, a bell-crank 41 with piv- -ots 42, having one end of the bell-crank connected to the upper' end of the latch 40, the

' other end of the bell-crank being connected by rope fito Athe link 32, which'yis provided 2o withIa-:numher ci holes t, in any one of "whichthe end of the rope 43 may be fasv tened, so that when the bucket swings on the orltor' discharging, the rope/43 vwill tighten,

as the rear endof the bucket swings into desired position, drawing the latch out of .the catch, and' allowA the gate to swin 4 open. By mountin a suitable 'guideor pu ley on the ,upper-edge of the gate the rope 43 `:m'ihay be connected to the latch 40, securing 'the same result. f- 4- l.; Instead of having a vclosed bucket or shovel as shown in Fig.' 3, this bucket or shovel maybe made as indicatedin Fig. 5, Servithla rounded rear end and an open top 46, the other features of constructionof this form of bucket. being substantially/the same as that shown in F ig. 3 with the exception that the link 32 need not be provided. with 'w perforations da as there is no latch to manipulate.v

The operation of the device is as fol,- ylows:--'l`he drums 13, 16 and may be manipulated independently or lsimultaru'e- 45' ously so that the operator in the inclosedk platform 2 can drive any drum at will, brake anyv drum at will or allowit to run etree tc'pay out its pertaining rope. The

i inclination `of the bucket is controlled by manipulating ropes 30 and 31, so as to hold -the .bucket at the proper digging angle. IThe bucket is dragged by rope 29 wound -on drum 25.. As soon -as suliicient material has been dug the bucket is raised by means 5 5 of ropes 30 and 31 and is pulled toward the platform 2 by means of the drag rope 29 or is allowed to swing out to its limit. by paying out the drag rope 29, see dotted line positions Fig. l. The platform and boom 6G supporting the bucket or shovel is then rotat-ed over the dum cars designed to receive the load or otherwise. Rope 30 is then -al- -lowed to pay out and the bucket drops and fin-,so doin lthe angle between-the link 32 66"andthe buc ret is increased, thereby producpivot'ed connection -tol the dragv rope 29 in,`

ing` a pull on rope 43 which actuates the bell ing na latch gate at its rear cnd,-and means for dragging said shovel forward for filling -the same; in combination with a pair of independently and simultaneously operable ropes for 'maintaining the shovel at any ineline to lregulate the depth ofexcavation, 30 for raising the shovel and for sustaining the load, one of said ropes constituting means for tripping the shovel to discharge from its rear end when raised independently of the "other, and means'operated by the tipping g5 rope to operate the latch for opening the gate.

2. The combination with an excavating and elevating shovel having a latch gate at its rear end and means for dragging them shovel forward for -illing the same; of a plurality of depending ropes for maintainmg the shovel at any incline to regulate the depth of excavation, and simultaneously actv'ing to raise the shovel, one of said ropes cone5 nected forward of the digging end oi the :shovelacting to tip the shovel, to discharge from lts rear end, and means actuated by -the tipping rope to' operate the latch 'for releasing the gate.

3. ln an excavating apparatus, the combination with an excavating and elevating shovel and means for dragging-.said shovel connected in front of its forward end for 'trilling the same; of two ropes, one of which 105 ,is connected to the shovel in front ofits 4. ln an excavating apparatus, the combination with an excavating shovel and means connected in front of the forward and of the shovel for' dragging the same g" of two ropes, link pivoted in front of the foryward end of theshovel to which one of said ropes is connected,'mean`s near the rear end 12o of the shovel to which the other rope is connected, a hinged gate for closing the rear end'of the shovel, a latch to hold the gate clcsed,a bell-crank carried on the gate one arm or' which is connected to the latch and 1% i .means to connect the other arm of the bell crank to the link.

5. In an excavating apparatus, the combination with an excavatin shovel, a dra r'ope'connectedinfront' of its forward en Ito a rear hinged gate and a latch for said gate;

of a supporting rope connected to the shovel between its center of gravity and said gate,

a link connected to the drag rope pivot in v front of the shovel, a second supporting rope connected to the link, and latch-operating means connected to the link.

6. I/n an excavating apparatus, the com-l bination with an excavatingshovel, a draag rope connected to its forward digging en a rear hinged gate and a latch for said gate; of a bail pivoted to the shovel between its center of gravity and said gate, a rope attachedl to the bail to assist the supporting and lifting thereof, a link pivoted to the foryward end of the shove1,.a second rope connected to the link, latch operating means connected to the link and means on the link to vary the extent of movement of the latch operating means.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES E. LITTLE.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. PARSONS, H. B. ROYER. 

